Does your child become stuck thinking about topics in only one way? Do they struggle to ‘switch’ their approach and use a different problem-solving strategy? Is it more challenging for them to do something differently than how they normally do it? Are they rigid in their thinking? Show
Typically, children who demonstrate challenges like those listed have difficulties with cognitive flexibility. Cognitive flexibility is the ability to adapt our behaviour and thinking in response to the environment. When children are asked to think about multiple concepts simultaneously or change their approach to solving a problem, they need to demonstrate flexible thinking. Cognitive flexibility is considered a core aspect of executive functioning. Executive functioning includes the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions and juggle multiple tasks simultaneously. Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Learning Disabilities/Disorders commonly show challenges with their executive functioning. Cognitive flexibility occurs in two main ways:
Let’s think about a typical example. Imagine the teacher has asked students to see how many ways their class can be sorted into different groups. Your child might say, “they all belong to the same grade!” Does your child also consider that they can be sorted by age, height, gender, favourite animal, sports, number of siblings, hair colour, and so on? Whether the problem is in real-life or an academic task, your child needs to look at situations from multiple perspectives. This is an aspect of cognitive flexibility! Here is another example. If your child is attempting a challenging math question, do they try to solve the problem using different strategies? Students will frequently attempt to solve a problem using the method they know best. If they can’t solve the problem with that strategy, they may state that the problem is impossible. Why Does Cognitive Flexibility Matter?Life is full of examples of times when we must examine situations using differing perspectives. To be successful social beings, we need to be flexible. We will have to face social problems, problems in our relationships, work-place conflict, or many other scenarios! Let’s think about an example of this in real life. Your child might have a playdate arranged at a friend’s home. But, as you are heading out the door, you get a text saying that the friend is sick and they will have to reschedule. For many of us, we would think, “Ok, when does it work for us to reschedule?” Or “What else can we do today that’s fun?”. But for those that struggle with cognitive flexibility, this may not be as easy. Often kids who struggle with flexible thinking don’t respond the same way to changes. They may freeze and do nothing. They may ruminate on the fact that their playdate was cancelled. Or, they may become emotional and distressed as they struggle to understand that they can reschedule and do something different that day instead. By practicing being flexible in our thinking with our students and children, we can help them reach their full potential. How Do We Improve Cognitive Flexibility?
These strategies are particularly important now during the global pandemic. Children have been forced to adapt their daily living, learn school lessons in a new way, and socialize differently. Practicing the ability to solve problems in new ways, consider multiple concepts at once, and look at the bigger picture will support their cognitive flexibility skills. In summary, cognitive flexibility skills allow us to switch gears and find new approaches to solve problems in our daily lives. Many children with ADHD and Learning Disabilities struggle with cognitive flexibility and may require more assistance in developing these skills. There are many ways to help your child develop these skills, including modelling, explicit instruction, and experiential learning. For further information:Trouble With Flexible Thinking: Why Some Kids Only See Things One Way A Day in the Life of a Child Who Struggles With Flexible Thinking Flexible Thinking: How to Encourage Kids to Go With the Flow Activities to promote flexible thinking with kids:9 Flexible Thinking Activities for Kids 5 Fun Activities for Developing Kids’ Flexibility Skills Books for Kids:“My Day is Ruined” – A Story Teaching Flexible Thinking by Bryan Smith “I Just Don’t Like the Sound of No"!” – written by Julia Cook Is the ability to consider more than one relevant aspect of a situation at the same time?Centration is the tendency to focus on only one aspect of a situation at one time. When a child can focus on more than one aspect of a situation at the same time they have the ability to decenter.
What term describes the process of starting with observations about particular members of a class and then drawing general conclusions?What does inductive mean? Inductive is used to describe reasoning that involves using specific observations, such as observed patterns, to make a general conclusion. This method is sometimes called induction. Induction starts with a set of premises, based mainly on experience or experimental evidence.
Which of the following cognitive abilities does an individual possess during the preoperational stage?Preoperational Stage
During this stage (toddler through age 7), young children are able to think about things symbolically. Their language use becomes more mature. They also develop memory and imagination, which allows them to understand the difference between past and future, and engage in make-believe.
What is preoperational intelligence?Preoperational intelligence means the young child is capable of mental representations, but does not have a system for organising this thinking (intuitive rather than logical thought).
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